Broom making machine and method



27, 1957 c. F. SMITH, JR 2,304,345

BROOM MAKING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Jan. 21. 1954 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Claude ESmfl/r, JI.

INV ENT OR ATTORNEY c; F. SMITH, JR 2,804,345

BROOM MAKING MACHINE AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet Aug. 27, 1957 Filed Jan. 21 1954 R. Claude E Smith, J:

INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 9 M 2,804,345 BROOM MAKEIG MACHINE AND METHOD Claude Felton Smith, .lr., Marston, N. (1., assignor to Marston Broom-Mop Factory, Marston, N. C.

Application January 21, 1954, Serial No. 405,373

6 Claims. (Cl. 300-13) The present invention relates to a machine and method for making a broom from conventional materials and is suitable for the manufacture of brooms of the type shown in applicants copending application, Serial No. 353,466, filed May 7, 1953, which resulted in Patent No. 2,696,628.

Although brooms have been made by machine and by hand, the machines of the prior art have been unnecessarily complicated and have not been satisfactory because of the failure of the mechanism and the difficulty of producing uniformly good quality brooms.

An object of the present invention is to provide a broom-making machine which will overcome the difliculties of the prior art and will provide a dependable structure capable of heavy duty use and high speed production.

Another object of the invention is to provide a broommaking machine which will simultaneously shape the broom structure, aflix the broom straw onto the handle, and maintain a cover over the stem ends of the broom straw.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the broom is clamped and staples passed through the stem ends of the straw, as well as the adjacent end of the handle for fixing the handle to the straw.

Another object is to provide a method of making a broom assuring the parts thereof being in proper fixed final relation.

Briefly, the present invention includes a main frame with a fixed jaw therein and a jaw mounted for movement toward and from the fixed jaw, to apply a sufficient pressure to compress the broom straw and the surrounding fiattenable cone from which the broom handle extends. A U-shaped guide is mounted on the frame for positioning the handle and the apex of the cone in a fixed position relative to the jaws for accurately supporting the parts of the broom assembly in position during a staple-inserting operation. Suitable control means, in the form of cams, a single revolution clutch, an eccentric, levers and connecting links, serve to bring the movable jaw into clamping relation with respect to the stationary jaw, flattening the broom straws and the retaining sheath or cone and maintaining said broom straw and cone in position while a staple-driving mechanism forces one or more staples through the cone, broom straw, and the handle. The ends of the staples are bent back by an anvil into the cone thereby avoiding undesired projections and permanently fixing the parts of the broom together.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds and upon reference to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the broom-making machine showing the front and right side of the clamping jaws and the staple-applying structure, with a portion of a broom shown in phantom outline;

Fig. 2, a front view of the broom-making machine;

2,804,345 Patented Aug. 27, 1 957 Fig. 3, a right side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 4, a left side view of an upper portion of the machine showing the clamping jaws in open position and the pawl for retaining the movable clamping jaw;

Fig. 4A, a left side elevation of a lower portion of the machine showing the cam for releasing the jaw-retaining pawl in its jaw-releasing position;

Fig. 5, a front elevation of the stationary jaw showing the staple-supplying magazines and the staple-driving slide;

Fig. 6, a side elevation of the stationary jaw showing the staple-inserting slide structure.

Upon more detailed reference to the drawings, the broom-making machine includes left and right upstanding frame members 11 and 12 suitably fixed at their lower ends to a supporting base (not shown). A fixed jaw 13, positioned between upper ends of the frame members 11 and 12, is fixed thereto by suitable fastening elements 14, which may be rivets, threaded bolts, or the like. A Z-shaped bracket 15 has one flange abutting the inner side of frame member 11 and fixed thereto by means of fastening bolts 16 passing through said oneflange and into frame members 11. A cross bar 17 located below the Z-shaped bracket 15 is fixed at its opposite ends by suitable fastening elements or the like to the frame members 11 and 12 and additionally supports Z-shaped bracket 15 by suitable fastening elements.

A movable jaw 18 is fixed by suitable means to a rock shaft 19, rockably mounted in the inner upstanding flange of the Z-shaped bracket and in the frame member 11. Such rock shaft 19 projects outwardly of frame member 11 carrying a locking wheel 2% fixed thereto by means of a pin 21. Said locking wheelhas a radial abutment surface 22 for engagement with a pawl 43.

It will be noted that movable jaw 18 has webs 23 extending downwardly and to the left providing an offset stem and terminating in a boss at the lower end which surrounds shaft 19. Integral with the jaw 18 and webs 23 are laterally extending arms 24 for operating the movable jaw by means hereinafter described.

Supported upon the'upstanding flange of Z-shaped bracket 15 is a U-shaped broom holder 25 having the legs thereof projecting toward frame member 12 for receiving the handle 74 of a broom.

A power shaft 26 passing through suitable hearings in the forward portions of frame members 11 and 12 as well as through a bearing in an auxiliary frame 27, carries a freely rotatable drive gear 28. Such drive gear 28 is provided with a plurality of dog-receiving notches 29 and is driven through suitable gears forming a gear reduction unit so that the drive gear 28 makes a complete'revolution in approximately one and one-half seconds.. Fixedly mounted on shaft 26 is a drive arm 30 carrying a clutch-dog (not shown) for reception into notches 29 of the drive gear 28 so that when such dog is in engagement with the drive gear, the arm 30 rotates therewith and thereby rotating shaft 26. A foot lever 31 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends carries a clutch-knife 32 for withdrawing the clutch-dog from the notches 29 when the foot lever is in the position shown and permitting the clutch-dog to be moved by a spring or otherwise into the notches of gear 28 when the foot lever is depressed. The foot lever is urged to the full line position in which the machine is idle by means of a tension spring 33 extending between a projection 34 on foot lever 31 to a fixed point on the frame member 11. A second shaft 35 is mounted in bosses in frame members 11 and 12 and carries a rock lever having a hub 36 and a long arm 37 extending from the hub and connected at its free end to a yoke 38, which is connected to the lower end of an adjustable rod 39 which is pivotally attached to the free ends of laterally extending arms 24 of the jaw 18. A shorter arm 39A of the rock lever 36 forms with a portion of the longer arm 37 a fork for receiving a follower 40 for engagement with an elliptical cam 40A. It will thus be seen'thatupon rotation of shaft 26, elliptical cam 40A will cause follower 40 to move rock lever arms 37, 39A downwardly causing jaw 18 to close, said rock lever being urged to its upper position by means of a spring 41.

An L-shaped lever pivoted on a-stub shaft 42 has one arm 43 serving as a pawl to engage radially extending surface 21 of locking wheel 20 and the other arm 44 is connected by means of a yoke 45 and an adjustable rod 46 to another yoke 47 which is pivotally connected to one arm 48 'of a bell crank lever 'rockable about a fixed stub shaft 49. The other arm 50 provides a follower 51 for engagement with a cam-52 fixed on power, shaft 26 so that when the lobe of the cam52 engages follower 51, the pawl 43 is moved outwardly of the radially extending surface 21 to permit the jaw to 'open. (A coil spring 53 normally urges the pawl 43 into locking engagement with the locking wheel and the follower 51 toward the cam 52. A pair of slides 54, 54 are mounted in slots 55, 55 in the stationary jaw 13 and the upper portions of the slots are provided with a rabbet groove 56. Staple-driving plates 57 slidably mountedin rabbet grooves 56 are fixed to the slides 54 by suitable fastening elements 58. A removable plate 59 carrying oiling devices 60 is secured to the stationary jaw by suitable fastening bolts 61 or the like. Extending upwardly from removable plate 59is the channel-shaped magazine 62 having upstanding guide bars 63, 63 therein for maintaining the staples 64 in stacked relation so that such staples may drop into rabbet grooves 56 when the staple-driving plates are moved rearwardly, such staple-driving plates serving to prevent other staples from dropping down until one stapling operation is completed. 7

The slides 54 are pivotally connected to adjustable links 65, which in turn are mounted on pivot 66 on an arm 67 of a second bell crank which is pivotally mounted 40 by means of a shaft 68 extendingthrough'frame members 11 and12. Such second bell crank includes another arm 69 at the outer end of which an adjustable rod 70 adjustably connects such arm '69 to an eccentric strap or follower 71 engaging an eccentric cam 72 fixed on the.

thereby avoiding any sharp projections.

From the above description, it will be apparent that prior to the insertion of a broom, the jaw 18 is open in the position shown in Fig. 4 and a broom shown in phantom lines is positioned with its handle 74 within the U-shaped guide 25 so that at least'a portion of the'wedge-, shaped end of the handle extends into the path of the staples and the surrounding cone 75 retain s the broom straw in position around the handle, the U-shaped guide 25 preventing the cone from dropping out of position and maintaining the cone and the broom in the proper location for the stapling operation. The foot treadle 31 is then depressed starting the cycle of operation fora complete revolution of the power s haft26. The elliptical cam 40A, through 'rock'leverarm 37, rod 39, laterally extending arms 24; an'd rock shaft 19, closesthe jaw, flattening the cone and the broom straw. Shaft .19 is rotated a sufiicient; distance so that the radial surface 21 extends beyond the end of pawl 43'and the pawl is moved into abutting relation with the radial surface 21 by means of the" spring 53 thereby locking thernovable, jaw in clamped relation. Thereafter, Qeccentric'. 72, through its strap 71, adjustabletrod 70, bell crank arms .69 and 67, adjustable link 65, and slide 54 move'the s'taple driving plates 57 to insert a staple 64 into the broom so that the staples pass through the broom handle, the cone, and the straw, and are'then clinched by the anvil 73 thereby locking the partsrof the broom in permanent location. The elliptical cam 34 again operates to release the pressure on pawl 43 and the cam 52 through follower 51 and lever arms 50, 48 of the bell crank, adjustable rod 47 and lever arm 44 moves the pawl to the position shown in Figs. 4. and 4A, and upon further rotation, the movable jawis returned to its released position by the action of spring 41. p

It will therefore be obvious that a complete broom has its parts permanently locked together in a rapid and efiicient manner by a machine having a minimum number of parts.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore, the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawvertical clearance to the space between said movable jaw and stationary jaw for receiving the handle of a broom, aU-shaped broom holder mounted below said jaws with the legs thereof extending away from the supported side of the movable jaw, a power shaft rotatably mounted in said frame members, a freely rotatable driving gear mounted on said power shaft, means for driving said gear, said gear being provided with a plurality of dog re'ceivingiriotches, an arm fixed on said power shaft,;a

dog mounted on said arm for selective engagement with the notches on said gear, a foot lever pivotally mounted on said frame members andhaving a clutch-knife for selective engagement with said dog for maintaining said dog out of said notches in said gear, means for maintaining said foot lever in position for preventing the insertion of said pin into said notches and permitting said pin to be moved into said notches upon depression of said foot lever, a first cam fixedly mounted on said power shaft, a second shaft mounted on said frame members, a rock lever mounted on said second shaft, a follower on said rock lever for engagement with said cam, a laterally extending arm projecting from said movable jaw, an adjustable link connecting said laterally extending arm of said jaw' and said rock lever whereby said jaw is moved in accordance with the movements of said rock lever, resilient means for normally urging said rock lever toward said cam and urging said movable jaw to open position, a lock wheel fixed with relation to said movable jaw and having a radially extending surface, a pawl pivotally mounted on said frame for engagement with said locking wheel and said radially extending surface for retaining said movable jaw in clamping relation, a lever on said pawl and movable therewith, a second cam mounted on said power shaft and having a projecting lobe therein, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on one of said frame members and having a follower on one arm for engaging said cam, a second adjustable rod connecting the other arm of said bell crank and the lever on said pawl whereby said second cam may retract said pawl from the radial surface and permit said movable jaw to open, a pair of slides movably mounted in' said fixed jaw for sliding movement toward and from said movable jaw, a staple driving plate fixedly mounted on each of said slides for sliding movement toward and from said movable jaw, a.

second bell crank mounted on said frame members, a link extending between one arm of said second bell crank and each of said slides, a third cam mounted on said power shaft, a follower for said third cam and a third adjustable rod connecting said follower and the second arm of said second bell crank for positively moving said slides, staplesupplying magazines above said slides and communicating therewith for feeding staples thereto, cooperating anvils on said movable jaw for contacting the points of said staples and causing such points to turn back upon themselves, said cams being so arranged as to cause said movable jaw to clamp a broom between said movable jaw and said stationary jaw, said pawl retaining said movable jaw in fixed position while said staple-driving slides force staples through the broom handle and broom straws and against the anvils on said movable jaw for securely fixing the parts of said broom in permanent relation, said movable jaw being then moved toward said stationary jaw and said pawl being released and thereafter said movable jaw separating and remaining separated until said foot lever is again actuated.

2. A broom making machine comprising a standard, a jaw having a generally vertically extending face fixedly mounted on said standard, a second jaw having a generally vertically extending face and having an offset support mounted on said standard for movement toward and away from said fixed jaw, said offset support being arranged with the offset so located with respect to the cooperating faces of the jaws that said offset portion of said support is located to one side of the useful surface of said jaw faces whereby an elongated article such as a broom with the broom straws thereon can be inserted from one side of the jaws toward said offset support without requiring longitudinal movement of said broom and handle whereby an operator can insert and remove brooms and clamp the brooms with said machine with a minimum of effort and with a minimum of vertical movement, a magazine for fastening elements mounted on said fixed jaw and extending vertically so as to feed the fastening elements by gravity, and means to force said fastening elements toward said movable jaw when the movable jaw is in clamping position.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which a U-shaped guide is arranged in horizontally extending position below the vertical clamping faces of said jaws for receiving a broom handle and properly locating a broom with relation to said clamping jaws.

4. A broom-making machine comprising a frame, a fixed jaw mounted in said frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a movable jaw, an offset stem on said shaft supporting said jaw, a locking wheel fixed on said shaft and having an abutment surface, a pawl mounted on said frame for cooperation with said abutment surface of said locking wheel, for maintaining said movable jaw in clamping position, means to move said movable jaw toward and from said fixed jaw and resilient means urging said pawl into abutting relation with said abutment when the movable jaw is in clamping position and means thereafter for releasing the strain on said pawl and subsequently moving said pawl away from said abutment, said ofiset stem of said movable jaw providing for the direct unobstructed transverse insertion and removal of an elongated broom handle and broom straws relative to said jaws.

5. A broom making machine comprising a frame, a fixed jaw mounted in said frame, a movable jaw having an offset stem pivotally mounted on said frame, an abutment fixed with relation to said movable jaw, a pawl for engagement with said abutment after said jaws are closed for maintaining said movable jaw in clamping position, means to move said movable jaw toward and from said fixed jaw and resilient means urging said pawl into abutting relation with said abutment when the movable jaw is in clamping position, and means thereafter for releasing the strain on said pawl and subsequently moving said pawl away from said abutment, said offset stem of said movable jaw providing for the direct unobstructed transverse insertion and removal of an elongated broom handle and broom straws relative to said jaws.

6. The method of making a handled broom in which the fibers are encased in a single compartment tapering hollow sheath, closed at its small end except for an opening for reception of the handle, comprising inserting one end of a broom handle through the opening in the small end of the tapered sheath with the said one end of the broom handle adjacent the wide portion of the sheath and the other end of the handle projecting from the narrow portion of the sheath, placing the handle and sheath with the handle generally vertical and the sheath uppermost between vertically extending clamping jaw faces by sidewise insertion between the jaws, placing fibers in said sheath with'one end of the fibers in the sheath and the other end of the fibers projecting outwardly and upwardly from the wide end of the sheath, accurately locating the sheath and the fibers with respect to the handle, flattening the wide portion of the sheath thereby compressing the fibers, and inserting fastening elements through the sheath, fibers and the one end of the handle thereby completing the broom and maintaining the broom in assembled relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 358,088 Temple Feb. 22, 1887 1,001,752 Gogarten Aug. 29, 1911 1,101,637 Lang June 30, 1914 1,465,162 Duvall Aug. 14, 1923 2,035,534 Cassels Mar. 31, 1936 2,350,515 Loungway June 6, 1944 

